Asia Defies the Global Wine Slump: 9 Markets Ranked by Import Growth

No. 1: Japan

Import volume: 110,544,069 liters, down 0.72%
Import value: JPY 121.67 billion (about US$757 million), up 5.80%
Imports per capita: US$6.16

With a population of more than 100 million and a mature wine consumption base, Japan remained Asia’s largest wine import market in the first half of 2026.

And while volumes were broadly flat, the market continued to grow in value.

Import volume edged down 0.72%, but value rose 5.80% year-on-year. With the yen under pressure, the much stronger growth in value than volume points to a rise in the average unit value of imported wine and continued resilience in demand for higher-value products.

After decades of development, Japan has built a mature wine culture. Wine is consumed not only at home but across restaurants, hotels and business occasions.

Domestic wine production remains limited, leaving the country heavily dependent on imports and providing a stable market for major producing countries including France, Italy, Chile and Spain. Japan also has economic partnership agreements or free-trade arrangements with major wine-producing countries and regions including the European Union, Australia and Chile, giving the market a diverse supplier base and intense competition.

Japan’s restaurant and tourism sectors continued to recover in 2026, providing additional support for wine consumption.

Research into Japan’s dining-out market shows that spending across the three major metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya has recovered to 96.9% of its pre-pandemic level, while spending per customer has increased 19.6% from 2019.

As consumers return to restaurants, the recovery in premium dining and food-and-wine occasions is creating a more favorable environment for wine consumption.

Monthly data from the Japan Foodservice Association also showed restaurant industry sales continuing to grow year-on-year during the first five months of 2026, driven largely by higher spending per customer and expenditure by inbound tourists. For the wine industry, recovering demand from premium restaurants, hotels and wine bars is also supporting purchases of higher-value imported wines.

Tourism is another important factor behind the recovery.

Japanese government data show the country welcomed about 21.08 million international visitors in the first half of 2026. Although slightly lower than a year earlier, arrivals exceeded 20 million in the first half for the second consecutive year.

More significant is the value of that tourism.

Japan Tourism Agency data show inbound visitor spending reached JPY 2.51 trillion (about US$15.61 billion) in the second quarter of 2026, up 0.2% year-on-year. Spending per visitor rose 3.3% to JPY 244,000, or about US$1,518.

Growth in both overall and per capita visitor spending provides support for premium restaurants, hotels and related alcohol consumption.

Another distinctive feature of Japan’s wine market is its strong appetite for Champagne.

From January through June 2026, Japan imported JPY 50.92 billion (about US$317 million) worth of sparkling wine. Imports of bottled wine in containers of 2 liters or less, excluding sherry and port, were valued at JPY 65.33 billion (about US$406 million).

The value of sparkling wine imports is therefore approaching that of bottled still wine, underscoring Japan’s unusually strong demand for Champagne and other premium sparkling wines relative to other Asian markets.

Japan’s per capita wine imports reached US$6.16 in the first half of 2026, second only to Hong Kong among the nine markets examined. Unlike Hong Kong, however, Japan does not have the same substantial re-export trade influencing its figures.

The measure therefore provides another indication of Japan’s large and mature consumer base.

At a time when much of Asia’s wine market remains in adjustment, Japan’s stable consumer demand, mature restaurant sector and strong inbound tourism continue to make it one of the region’s most important mature markets for international wineries.

For full analysis of Japan’s wine market, click here.